August 22, 2024 • 22 mins
Have you ever considered what it truly means to walk in love and unity as a Christian? On today's episode of The Takeaway, we uncover Paul's profound teachings from Ephesians 5:1-6, offering a roadmap from spiritual deadness to a vibrant life in Christ. We delve into living a godly life by imitating God and walking in love, just as Christ did. Through this journey, we explore the transformation the Spirit of God brings and how even suffering can refine and authenticate our faith—emphasizing that true transformation is only possible through Christ.
Moreover, we'll discuss the transformative power of starting our prayers and services with gratitude and praise, as outlined in Colossians 3:1-17. Shifting our focus to thankfulness sets our hearts in the right posture to receive God's Word, often addressing many of our petitions and eliminating complaints. This practice not only grounds us in the Word of Truth but also cultivates a joyful heart, allowing us to appreciate what God has done, is doing, and will do. Join us for an inspiring discussion on how to deepen your spiritual journey by walking in love and gratitude.
Please visit www.chosenbydesign.net for more information on Pastor Harry’s new book, "Chosen By Design - God’s Purpose for Your Life."
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello, welcome again to the Takeaway.
I'm your host, pastor HarryBehrens.
In today's episode, we're goingto be discussing Ephesians,
chapter 5, verses 1 to 6, andthe theme is imitating God.
Now, before we dive in, I wantto invite you to share any
questions or feedback you mayhave by using the text us link
in the episode description, asyour input is invaluable in
(00:22):
shaping future episodes.
Here at the Takeaway, we arecommitted to creating content
that supports your spiritualgrowth, and we can only do that
with your feedback, so pleaselet us know your thoughts, as we
would love to hear from you.
Now, as we begin, we see thatPaul has been gradually leading
us on a journey following thedivine plan that God has set out
for us, and he has now reachedthe point of urging us to
(00:45):
imitate God.
As we reflect on the previouschapters, we can see that this
serves as a roadmap to theChristian life, starting from
the state of spiritual deadnessdue to sin, being chosen by God,
being placed in his family andbeing equipped to understand how
we are to model ourselves afterChrist.
Let me give you a briefoverview of each chapter to
(01:06):
illustrate how this is laid out.
The roadmap, or the theme bychapter goes like this Chapter 1
, god planned from the beginningto create a people for his
glory and pleasure.
Chapter 2, we were dead in oursin, but God made us alive in
Christ Jesus.
Chapter 3, god revealed hisplan through the apostles and
prophets.
Chapter four he equips us,through church leaders, to learn
(01:30):
how to live.
Chapter five a life thatimitates Christ.
And, as we'll see later,chapter six we are to be
strengthened by his armor tostand against the devil.
So this overview provides asimplified summary of the topics
addressed in the precedingchapters and the ones to come.
But it's important to observethis letter from a broader
(01:51):
perspective, to appreciate theabundance of valuable tips and
insights in the roadmap Paul hasgiven us.
These will not only guide us onhow to lead a life that
glorifies God, but will alsoprovide an understanding of why
we do so and how it's achievable, especially when we acknowledge
that we don't have thecapability on our own.
(02:11):
His letter primarily presents aseries of interconnected ideas
that gradually build upon oneanother.
The progression is subtle andthe ideas seamlessly blend
together.
However, upon closerexamination, it becomes evident
how each thought leads to thenext, as Paul uses the word
therefore 11 times in thisletter to signify that the
(02:34):
upcoming idea is a continuationof the preceding one.
It is truly remarkable in thatit invites us to reflect on our
spiritual growth.
It provides a means for us toassess our current spiritual
state and gain insight into thedirection in which we are
heading.
Much like a roadmap, itestablishes a starting point
from which we can gauge ourprogress.
In essence, this letter is aninvaluable resource for walking
(02:58):
with Jesus.
Now, at the end of chapter 4,paul left us with the thought
that we are no longer to live inthe futility of our minds.
We are to put on the new man,live in unity with one another
and, above all else, love.
1 Corinthians 13, verse 13.
So now, faith, hope and loveabide these three, but the
(03:20):
greatest of these is love.
The question chapter 4 leavesus with is how?
How do we do that?
Chapter 5 continues the thoughtwith the answer Ephesians,
chapter 5, verse 1.
Therefore, be imitators of God,as beloved children, and walk in
love, as Christ loved us andgave himself up for us, a
(03:45):
fragrant offering and sacrificeto God.
Our lives are designed toreproduce godliness as modeled
by Jesus.
Nothing glorifies God more thanwhen we imitate him.
The benefit for us in it isthat we have the fullness of his
joy, and this is a win-win forall of us.
(04:07):
All of this is made possiblebecause we have been recreated
in his image through our newbirth.
Romans, chapter 8, verse 29 to30,.
For those whom he foreknew, healso predestined to be conformed
to the image of his son inorder that he might be the
(04:36):
firstborn among many brothersand those whom 2 Corinthians 3,
verse 18.
Are being transformed into thesame image from one degree of
glory to another, for this comesfrom the Lord, who is the
Spirit.
1 Peter, 1, verses 14-16.
(05:06):
To imitate Christ also means wewill suffer as he did, not as a
form of punishment, but to showthe world we are his and that
we will never deny him, just ashe said he would never forsake
us or deny us.
Hebrews 13.5.
(05:26):
Suffering is how our faith isrefined, that we know our faith
is genuine and not justsomething that is superficial.
Just as he gave himself up as aholy sacrifice, we're to offer
ourselves as one also.
Look at this.
Romans, chapter 12, verses 1 to2.
I appeal to you therefore,brothers, by the mercies of God,
(05:47):
to present your bodies as aliving sacrifice, holy and
acceptable to God, which is yourspiritual worship.
Do not be conformed to thisworld, but be transformed by the
renewal of your mind that bytesting, you may discern what is
the will of God, what is goodand acceptable and perfect.
(06:07):
Now, it's only possible to livethis way by the Spirit of God.
If you are not a new man inChrist, living in the power of
Christ, through the Spirit ofChrist, you have no hope of
offering yourself up as asacrifice to God, as it is only
the blood of Jesus that appeasesthe wrath of God.
Romans 8, verses 1-11.
(06:27):
There is therefore now nocondemnation for those who are
in Christ Jesus, for the law ofthe Spirit of life has set you
free, in Christ Jesus, from thelaw of sin and death.
For God has done what the law,weakened by the flesh, could not
do, by sending his Son in thelikeness of sinful flesh and for
sin.
He condemned sin in the fleshin order that the righteous
(06:51):
requirement of the law might befulfilled in us who walk not
according to the flesh butaccording to the Spirit.
For those who live according tothe flesh set their minds on
the things of the flesh, butthose who live according to the
Spirit, set their minds on thethings of the Spirit, for to set
the mind on the flesh is death,but to set the mind on the
Spirit is life and peace.
(07:12):
For the mind that is set on theflesh is hostile to God, for it
does not submit to God's law.
Indeed, it cannot.
Those who are in the fleshcannot please God.
You, however, are not in theflesh but in the Spirit.
If, in fact, the Spirit of Goddwells in you, anyone who does
(07:34):
not have the Spirit of Christdoes not belong to Him.
But if Christ is in you,although the body is dead
because of sin, the Spirit islife because of righteousness,
if the Spirit of Him who raisedJesus from the dead dwells in
you.
(07:55):
Moving on to Ephesians 5, verse3.
Impurity or covetousness mustnot even be named among you, as
is proper among the saints.
These sins are an absolutecontrast to God's love and
holiness and have no place in abeliever's life.
(08:15):
If we are indeed filled withhis spirit.
The spirit empowers us toovercome this nature that dwells
in our flesh, so that it is notproduced.
Instead, the spirit willproduce the characteristics of
Christ, and when you fightagainst him, he will bring you
to a place of conviction andeventually, repentance.
John, chapter 16, verses 8 and9.
(08:37):
Nevertheless, I tell you thetruth it is to your advantage
that I go away, for if I do notgo away, the Helper will not
come to you, but if I go I willsend him to you and when he
comes he will convict the worldconcerning sin and righteousness
and judgment.
(08:57):
Ephesians 5, verse 4.
Let there be no filthiness, norfoolish talk, nor crude joking,
which are out of place, butinstead let there be
thanksgiving.
The believer's life replacesthese foolish things with a life
of thanksgiving.
This is something we can alluse more of.
When we place thanksgiving atthe forefront of our thoughts
(09:19):
and speech, we will find itdifficult to complain.
My fellowship makes it a pointto open each service with
thanksgiving and praise towardsGod.
In prayer, we go around theroom and everyone takes part in
praising the Father for who heis, what he has done and what he
will do.
It sets our minds in thecorrect posture to hear and
receive the Word.
So many Christians have beentrained or default to
(09:41):
petitioning to God as theirfirst thought in prayer.
That is a very immature postureand not one that we should be
practicing.
We should always open up withprayers of thanksgiving and
praise, which leads to a joyfulheart.
We also give thanks for whatGod will do, because we study
his word and it tells us what hehas, is and will do in this
(10:03):
world.
We could be sure of thesethings and give thanks for them.
That will oftentimes take careof the petitions you have, as
God has given us many of theanswers we are seeking already.
If only we would be a peoplegrounded in the word of truth,
we would absolutely know what tobe thankful for, and the
complaining and foolish talkwould stop altogether.
(10:24):
Colossians, chapter 3, verses 1to 17.
If, then, you have been raisedwith Christ, seek the things
that are above, where Christ isseated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on the thingsthat are above, not on the
things on the earth, for youhave died and your life is
hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is your life,appears, then you also will
(10:46):
appear with him in glory.
Put to death, therefore, whatis earthly in you.
Put to death, therefore, whatis earthly in you sexual
immorality, impurity, passion,evil desires and covetousness,
which is idolatry.
On account of these, the wrathof God is coming In these.
You too once walked when youwere living in them, but now you
(11:08):
must put them all away.
Anger, wrath, malice, slander,obscene talk from your mouth.
Do not lie to one another,seeing that you have put off the
old self with its practices andhave put on the new self, which
is being renewed in knowledgeafter the image of its creator.
Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised,
(11:31):
barbarian, scythian, slave free, but Christ is all and in all.
Put on, then, as God's chosenones, holy and beloved,
compassionate hearts, kindness,humility, meekness and patience,
bearing with one another and,if one has a complaint against
another, forgiving each other.
(11:51):
As the Lord has forgiven you,so you also must forgive.
And, above all these, put onlove, which binds everything
together in perfect harmony, andlet the peace of Christ rule in
your hearts, in which, indeed,you were called in one body, and
be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell inyou richly, teaching and
(12:12):
admonishing one another in allwisdom, singing psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs withthankfulness in your hearts to
God, and whatever you do in wordor deed, do everything in the
name of the Lord, jesus Christ,giving thanks to God, the Father
.
Through him, no longer are weto be foolish in our speech and
(12:37):
action.
We are to be mature and imitateJesus as he imitated the Father
.
That is the way to glorify yourFather in heaven.
When we are foolish in our ways, it's often because we try to
appease people and earn theirfavor.
That is what the world does,but we are to set an example for
this world so that they mightact like us.
Have you ever been aroundunbelievers who know you are a
(12:58):
Christian and when they cursethey apologize for it?
Why do you think that is?
It's because you have giventhem an example of a better way
to live and in some way theyrespect that, even though they
don't ask for it.
Matthew 10, verses 40-42.
Whoever receives you receivesme, and whoever receives me
(13:20):
receives him.
Who sent me?
The one who receives a prophetbecause he is a prophet will
receive a prophet's reward.
And the one who receives arighteous person because he is a
righteous person will receive arighteous person's reward.
Person because he is arighteous person will receive a
righteous person's reward.
And whoever gives one of theselittle ones even a cup of cold
water because he is a disciple,truly I say to you, he will by
(13:41):
no means lose his reward.
I can't stress this enough howmuch your life impacts people
around you.
Every action you make, everyword you speak has life in it,
and it should be life thatpeople are drawn to.
John 13, verse 35.
By this, all people will knowthat you are my disciples if you
(14:05):
have love for one another.
Ephesians 5, verse 5.
Chapter 5, verse 5.
For you may be sure of this,that everyone who is sexually
immoral or impure or who iscovetous, that is, an idolater,
has no inheritance in thekingdom of Christ and God.
The person who continually andpurposely lives this way is not
a saved individual, regardlessof what they say.
(14:27):
A spiritually regenerated lifewill desire to please God and
fight his old nature.
A spiritually regenerated lifewill desire to please God and
fight his old nature.
That doesn't mean believerswon't sin, but they will be
repentant and apologetic.
They will walk in the light andbring their sin into it.
1 John 1, verses 5-7.
This is the message we haveheard from him and proclaim to
(14:47):
you that God is light and in himis no darkness at all.
If we say we have fellowshipwith him while we walk in
darkness, we lie and do notpractice the truth.
But if we walk in the light, ashe is in the light, we have
fellowship with one another, andthe blood of Jesus, his son,
cleanses us from all sin.
Now, if we walk in the light,we have assurance of our
(15:08):
fellowship with him.
That will produce a desirewithin you that wants to please
him and not yourself.
Your primary thoughts will betowards God, and so they should
be, as he is the one from whichour joy comes.
2 Corinthians, chapter 5,verses 9 to 10.
So, whether we are at home oraway, we make it our aim to
please him, for we must allappear before the judgment seat
(15:31):
of Christ so that each one mayreceive what is due for what he
has done in the body, whethergood or evil.
Ephesians 5, verse 6,.
Let no one deceive you withempty words, for because of
these things, the wrath of Godcomes upon the sons of
disobedience.
That verse says we should giveno assurance of salvation to
(15:53):
anyone who lives in their sinswithout repentance.
That would be deception, andGod's wrath is for those people.
The question is do we sugarcoatthe gospel?
Do we know people that do?
It happens all the time when wehear someone say you just need
to be a good person, or Jesusloves everyone, and so on and so
(16:14):
on.
These are deceptive in thatthey offer no assurance of
salvation.
The real gospel will presentsin as the issue and call people
to turn from their sin andtowards Jesus, but even this has
the potential to be watereddown if you don't explain that
the Christian life is one thatnot only turns from sin but also
(16:36):
abandons everything for Jesus.
Now, what I mean by this isthat when we accept Jesus as
Lord, we accept that no one ornothing compares to him.
We will live for him first andsubmit to his word in all areas
of our life.
That doesn't mean we areperfect, but it does mean we
pursue the life he has for us.
(16:57):
We are not to sit around and donothing at all.
The assurance of our salvationcomes from putting our faith
into action.
John, chapter 8, verse 31 to 35.
Jesus said to the Jews who hadbelieved in him if you abide in
my word, you are truly mydisciples and you will know the
truth, and the truth will setyou free.
(17:18):
They answered him.
We are offspring of Abraham andhave never been enslaved to
anyone.
How is it that you say you willbecome free?
Jesus answered them Truly,truly.
I say to you, everyone whopractices sin is a slave to sin.
The slave does not remain inthe house forever.
The son remains forever.
So if the son sets you free,you will be free.
(17:41):
Indeed, james, chapter 1,verses 22 to 25.
But the doers of the word, bedoers of the word and not
hearers only deceivingyourselves.
For if anyone is a hearer ofthe word and not a doer, he is
like a man who looks intently athis natural face in a mirror,
for he looks at himself and goesaway and at once forgets what
(18:01):
he was like.
But the one who looks into theperfect law, the law of liberty,
and perseveres being no hearerwho forgets, but a doer who acts
, he will be blessed in hisdoing so.
Do you abide in his word?
Do you seek it out with hungerfor truth, or is it just
something you enjoy hearing butdon't really want to abide in?
(18:24):
Ezekiel, chapter 33, verses 30to 33.
Listen to this.
As for you, son of man, yourpeople who talk about you by the
walls and at the doors of thehouses, say to one another, each
to his brother, come and hearthe word that comes from the
Lord, and they come to you aspeople come, and they sit before
(18:45):
you as my people, and they hearwhat you say, but they will not
do it, for with lustful talk intheir mouths they act.
Their heart is set on theirgain.
And behold, you are to themlike one who sings lustful songs
with a beautiful voice andplays well on an instrument.
For they hear what you say, butthey will not do it.
(19:12):
Those are powerful words, and Iwould even go as far as to say
this fits the American churchtoday, as most are nothing more
but concerts with laser lightsand smoke machines.
They have teachers that tickletheir ears, an environment that
appeases their senses.
The people come from far off tovisit, not because they speak
(19:32):
truth, but because they areentertained.
At least with Ezekiel, he wasspeaking the truth and they were
entertained by it.
But in our culture they aresetting out to entertain and
draw these people in.
That is what you call a churchthat has their heart set on gain
and is most likely dead.
(19:53):
Revelation 3, verse 1.
And to the angel of the churchof Sardis write the words of him
who has the seven spirits ofGod and the seven stars.
I know your works, you have thereputation of being alive, but
you are dead.
Just because we have acceptedJesus as Lord and Savior does
not mean we are out of danger.
(20:13):
You might be saved, but you arein the middle of a raging war
and the enemy is out to get youwith everything he has.
He wants to ruin you and makesure that you never come to
realize the power that you havein Christ.
The power he wants to keep youfrom is a power that can easily
take him down If you would justlearn how to walk the way Paul
(20:35):
stresses and urges for us inthis letter.
It's your responsibility toenact the faith that God has
given you through the power hehas given you, by the spirit he
has given you.
When you don't live by thespirit, you in turn you grieve
him.
Ephesians, chapter 4, verse 30,.
And do not grieve the HolySpirit of God by whom you were
(20:56):
sealed for the day of redemption.
Let's pray, father, thank you.
Thank you that you have coveredus in the blood of Jesus and
given us his spirit so that welive a life pleasing to you.
Father, I ask that you wouldhelp us to submit to your spirit
so he can guide us and help uslive a life imitating you so you
(21:19):
may be glorified in us.
You're an amazing God and wethank you for giving us
everything we need to live inthis world and conquer the enemy
.
Father, we love you and wethank you In Jesus' name, amen.
Now I want to thank you forjoining us today, and I hope
this message helped you take astep closer in your relationship
(21:40):
with Jesus and that you have abetter understanding of just how
much God loves you and wantsyou to know him.
In our upcoming episode, wewill be further discussing the
concept of imitating Christ byshining a light on wrongdoing.
Just as Jesus brought truth tothe forefront, we are called to
do the same.
Instead of turning a blind eyeor staying silent, we are
challenged to expose dishonestyand immorality.
(22:03):
This may lead to backlash andconflict, as those who are
confronted may react offensively.
However, it is ourresponsibility to reveal and
confront the darkness andwickedness in the world, despite
the resistance it may bring.
Now, before we go, I want toencourage you to send us a text
message from the link providedin the description of this
(22:24):
episode.
We would love to hear yourfeedback and questions you may
have from today's show, as ithelps us produce future episodes
that are beneficial to you.
In addition, please feel freeto use this podcast as a
resource to help others andshine a light into the darkness.
God bless, and we'll see younext time on the Takeaway.
Hello, welcome again to the Takeaway.
I'm your host, pastor HarryBehrens.
In today's episode, we're goingto be discussing Ephesians,
chapter 5, verses 1 to 6, andthe theme is imitating God.
Now, before we dive in, I wantto invite you to share any
questions or feedback you mayhave by using the text us link
in the episode description, asyour input is invaluable in
(00:22):
shaping future episodes.
Here at the Takeaway, we arecommitted to creating content
that supports your spiritualgrowth, and we can only do that
with your feedback, so pleaselet us know your thoughts, as we
would love to hear from you.
Now, as we begin, we see thatPaul has been gradually leading
us on a journey following thedivine plan that God has set out
for us, and he has now reachedthe point of urging us to
(00:45):
imitate God.
As we reflect on the previouschapters, we can see that this
serves as a roadmap to theChristian life, starting from
the state of spiritual deadnessdue to sin, being chosen by God,
being placed in his family andbeing equipped to understand how
we are to model ourselves afterChrist.
Let me give you a briefoverview of each chapter to
(01:06):
illustrate how this is laid out.
The roadmap, or the theme bychapter goes like this Chapter 1
, god planned from the beginningto create a people for his
glory and pleasure.
Chapter 2, we were dead in oursin, but God made us alive in
Christ Jesus.
Chapter 3, god revealed hisplan through the apostles and
prophets.
Chapter four he equips us,through church leaders, to learn
(01:30):
how to live.
Chapter five a life thatimitates Christ.
And, as we'll see later,chapter six we are to be
strengthened by his armor tostand against the devil.
So this overview provides asimplified summary of the topics
addressed in the precedingchapters and the ones to come.
But it's important to observethis letter from a broader
(01:51):
perspective, to appreciate theabundance of valuable tips and
insights in the roadmap Paul hasgiven us.
These will not only guide us onhow to lead a life that
glorifies God, but will alsoprovide an understanding of why
we do so and how it's achievable, especially when we acknowledge
that we don't have thecapability on our own.
(02:11):
His letter primarily presents aseries of interconnected ideas
that gradually build upon oneanother.
The progression is subtle andthe ideas seamlessly blend
together.
However, upon closerexamination, it becomes evident
how each thought leads to thenext, as Paul uses the word
therefore 11 times in thisletter to signify that the
(02:34):
upcoming idea is a continuationof the preceding one.
It is truly remarkable in thatit invites us to reflect on our
spiritual growth.
It provides a means for us toassess our current spiritual
state and gain insight into thedirection in which we are
heading.
Much like a roadmap, itestablishes a starting point
from which we can gauge ourprogress.
In essence, this letter is aninvaluable resource for walking
(02:58):
with Jesus.
Now, at the end of chapter 4,paul left us with the thought
that we are no longer to live inthe futility of our minds.
We are to put on the new man,live in unity with one another
and, above all else, love.
1 Corinthians 13, verse 13.
So now, faith, hope and loveabide these three, but the
(03:20):
greatest of these is love.
The question chapter 4 leavesus with is how?
How do we do that?
Chapter 5 continues the thoughtwith the answer Ephesians,
chapter 5, verse 1.
Therefore, be imitators of God,as beloved children, and walk in
love, as Christ loved us andgave himself up for us, a
(03:45):
fragrant offering and sacrificeto God.
Our lives are designed toreproduce godliness as modeled
by Jesus.
Nothing glorifies God more thanwhen we imitate him.
The benefit for us in it isthat we have the fullness of his
joy, and this is a win-win forall of us.
(04:07):
All of this is made possiblebecause we have been recreated
in his image through our newbirth.
Romans, chapter 8, verse 29 to30,.
For those whom he foreknew, healso predestined to be conformed
to the image of his son inorder that he might be the
(04:36):
firstborn among many brothersand those whom 2 Corinthians 3,
verse 18.
Are being transformed into thesame image from one degree of
glory to another, for this comesfrom the Lord, who is the
Spirit.
1 Peter, 1, verses 14-16.
(05:06):
To imitate Christ also means wewill suffer as he did, not as a
form of punishment, but to showthe world we are his and that
we will never deny him, just ashe said he would never forsake
us or deny us.
Hebrews 13.5.
(05:26):
Suffering is how our faith isrefined, that we know our faith
is genuine and not justsomething that is superficial.
Just as he gave himself up as aholy sacrifice, we're to offer
ourselves as one also.
Look at this.
Romans, chapter 12, verses 1 to2.
I appeal to you therefore,brothers, by the mercies of God,
(05:47):
to present your bodies as aliving sacrifice, holy and
acceptable to God, which is yourspiritual worship.
Do not be conformed to thisworld, but be transformed by the
renewal of your mind that bytesting, you may discern what is
the will of God, what is goodand acceptable and perfect.
(06:07):
Now, it's only possible to livethis way by the Spirit of God.
If you are not a new man inChrist, living in the power of
Christ, through the Spirit ofChrist, you have no hope of
offering yourself up as asacrifice to God, as it is only
the blood of Jesus that appeasesthe wrath of God.
Romans 8, verses 1-11.
(06:27):
There is therefore now nocondemnation for those who are
in Christ Jesus, for the law ofthe Spirit of life has set you
free, in Christ Jesus, from thelaw of sin and death.
For God has done what the law,weakened by the flesh, could not
do, by sending his Son in thelikeness of sinful flesh and for
sin.
He condemned sin in the fleshin order that the righteous
(06:51):
requirement of the law might befulfilled in us who walk not
according to the flesh butaccording to the Spirit.
For those who live according tothe flesh set their minds on
the things of the flesh, butthose who live according to the
Spirit, set their minds on thethings of the Spirit, for to set
the mind on the flesh is death,but to set the mind on the
Spirit is life and peace.
(07:12):
For the mind that is set on theflesh is hostile to God, for it
does not submit to God's law.
Indeed, it cannot.
Those who are in the fleshcannot please God.
You, however, are not in theflesh but in the Spirit.
If, in fact, the Spirit of Goddwells in you, anyone who does
(07:34):
not have the Spirit of Christdoes not belong to Him.
But if Christ is in you,although the body is dead
because of sin, the Spirit islife because of righteousness,
if the Spirit of Him who raisedJesus from the dead dwells in
you.
(07:55):
Moving on to Ephesians 5, verse3.
Impurity or covetousness mustnot even be named among you, as
is proper among the saints.
These sins are an absolutecontrast to God's love and
holiness and have no place in abeliever's life.
(08:15):
If we are indeed filled withhis spirit.
The spirit empowers us toovercome this nature that dwells
in our flesh, so that it is notproduced.
Instead, the spirit willproduce the characteristics of
Christ, and when you fightagainst him, he will bring you
to a place of conviction andeventually, repentance.
John, chapter 16, verses 8 and9.
(08:37):
Nevertheless, I tell you thetruth it is to your advantage
that I go away, for if I do notgo away, the Helper will not
come to you, but if I go I willsend him to you and when he
comes he will convict the worldconcerning sin and righteousness
and judgment.
(08:57):
Ephesians 5, verse 4.
Let there be no filthiness, norfoolish talk, nor crude joking,
which are out of place, butinstead let there be
thanksgiving.
The believer's life replacesthese foolish things with a life
of thanksgiving.
This is something we can alluse more of.
When we place thanksgiving atthe forefront of our thoughts
(09:19):
and speech, we will find itdifficult to complain.
My fellowship makes it a pointto open each service with
thanksgiving and praise towardsGod.
In prayer, we go around theroom and everyone takes part in
praising the Father for who heis, what he has done and what he
will do.
It sets our minds in thecorrect posture to hear and
receive the Word.
So many Christians have beentrained or default to
(09:41):
petitioning to God as theirfirst thought in prayer.
That is a very immature postureand not one that we should be
practicing.
We should always open up withprayers of thanksgiving and
praise, which leads to a joyfulheart.
We also give thanks for whatGod will do, because we study
his word and it tells us what hehas, is and will do in this
(10:03):
world.
We could be sure of thesethings and give thanks for them.
That will oftentimes take careof the petitions you have, as
God has given us many of theanswers we are seeking already.
If only we would be a peoplegrounded in the word of truth,
we would absolutely know what tobe thankful for, and the
complaining and foolish talkwould stop altogether.
(10:24):
Colossians, chapter 3, verses 1to 17.
If, then, you have been raisedwith Christ, seek the things
that are above, where Christ isseated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on the thingsthat are above, not on the
things on the earth, for youhave died and your life is
hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is your life,appears, then you also will
(10:46):
appear with him in glory.
Put to death, therefore, whatis earthly in you.
Put to death, therefore, whatis earthly in you sexual
immorality, impurity, passion,evil desires and covetousness,
which is idolatry.
On account of these, the wrathof God is coming In these.
You too once walked when youwere living in them, but now you
(11:08):
must put them all away.
Anger, wrath, malice, slander,obscene talk from your mouth.
Do not lie to one another,seeing that you have put off the
old self with its practices andhave put on the new self, which
is being renewed in knowledgeafter the image of its creator.
Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised,
(11:31):
barbarian, scythian, slave free, but Christ is all and in all.
Put on, then, as God's chosenones, holy and beloved,
compassionate hearts, kindness,humility, meekness and patience,
bearing with one another and,if one has a complaint against
another, forgiving each other.
(11:51):
As the Lord has forgiven you,so you also must forgive.
And, above all these, put onlove, which binds everything
together in perfect harmony, andlet the peace of Christ rule in
your hearts, in which, indeed,you were called in one body, and
be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell inyou richly, teaching and
(12:12):
admonishing one another in allwisdom, singing psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs withthankfulness in your hearts to
God, and whatever you do in wordor deed, do everything in the
name of the Lord, jesus Christ,giving thanks to God, the Father
.
Through him, no longer are weto be foolish in our speech and
(12:37):
action.
We are to be mature and imitateJesus as he imitated the Father
.
That is the way to glorify yourFather in heaven.
When we are foolish in our ways, it's often because we try to
appease people and earn theirfavor.
That is what the world does,but we are to set an example for
this world so that they mightact like us.
Have you ever been aroundunbelievers who know you are a
(12:58):
Christian and when they cursethey apologize for it?
Why do you think that is?
It's because you have giventhem an example of a better way
to live and in some way theyrespect that, even though they
don't ask for it.
Matthew 10, verses 40-42.
Whoever receives you receivesme, and whoever receives me
(13:20):
receives him.
Who sent me?
The one who receives a prophetbecause he is a prophet will
receive a prophet's reward.
And the one who receives arighteous person because he is a
righteous person will receive arighteous person's reward.
Person because he is arighteous person will receive a
righteous person's reward.
And whoever gives one of theselittle ones even a cup of cold
water because he is a disciple,truly I say to you, he will by
(13:41):
no means lose his reward.
I can't stress this enough howmuch your life impacts people
around you.
Every action you make, everyword you speak has life in it,
and it should be life thatpeople are drawn to.
John 13, verse 35.
By this, all people will knowthat you are my disciples if you
(14:05):
have love for one another.
Ephesians 5, verse 5.
Chapter 5, verse 5.
For you may be sure of this,that everyone who is sexually
immoral or impure or who iscovetous, that is, an idolater,
has no inheritance in thekingdom of Christ and God.
The person who continually andpurposely lives this way is not
a saved individual, regardlessof what they say.
(14:27):
A spiritually regenerated lifewill desire to please God and
fight his old nature.
A spiritually regenerated lifewill desire to please God and
fight his old nature.
That doesn't mean believerswon't sin, but they will be
repentant and apologetic.
They will walk in the light andbring their sin into it.
1 John 1, verses 5-7.
This is the message we haveheard from him and proclaim to
(14:47):
you that God is light and in himis no darkness at all.
If we say we have fellowshipwith him while we walk in
darkness, we lie and do notpractice the truth.
But if we walk in the light, ashe is in the light, we have
fellowship with one another, andthe blood of Jesus, his son,
cleanses us from all sin.
Now, if we walk in the light,we have assurance of our
(15:08):
fellowship with him.
That will produce a desirewithin you that wants to please
him and not yourself.
Your primary thoughts will betowards God, and so they should
be, as he is the one from whichour joy comes.
2 Corinthians, chapter 5,verses 9 to 10.
So, whether we are at home oraway, we make it our aim to
please him, for we must allappear before the judgment seat
(15:31):
of Christ so that each one mayreceive what is due for what he
has done in the body, whethergood or evil.
Ephesians 5, verse 6,.
Let no one deceive you withempty words, for because of
these things, the wrath of Godcomes upon the sons of
disobedience.
That verse says we should giveno assurance of salvation to
(15:53):
anyone who lives in their sinswithout repentance.
That would be deception, andGod's wrath is for those people.
The question is do we sugarcoatthe gospel?
Do we know people that do?
It happens all the time when wehear someone say you just need
to be a good person, or Jesusloves everyone, and so on and so
(16:14):
on.
These are deceptive in thatthey offer no assurance of
salvation.
The real gospel will presentsin as the issue and call people
to turn from their sin andtowards Jesus, but even this has
the potential to be watereddown if you don't explain that
the Christian life is one thatnot only turns from sin but also
(16:36):
abandons everything for Jesus.
Now, what I mean by this isthat when we accept Jesus as
Lord, we accept that no one ornothing compares to him.
We will live for him first andsubmit to his word in all areas
of our life.
That doesn't mean we areperfect, but it does mean we
pursue the life he has for us.
(16:57):
We are not to sit around and donothing at all.
The assurance of our salvationcomes from putting our faith
into action.
John, chapter 8, verse 31 to 35.
Jesus said to the Jews who hadbelieved in him if you abide in
my word, you are truly mydisciples and you will know the
truth, and the truth will setyou free.
(17:18):
They answered him.
We are offspring of Abraham andhave never been enslaved to
anyone.
How is it that you say you willbecome free?
Jesus answered them Truly,truly.
I say to you, everyone whopractices sin is a slave to sin.
The slave does not remain inthe house forever.
The son remains forever.
So if the son sets you free,you will be free.
(17:41):
Indeed, james, chapter 1,verses 22 to 25.
But the doers of the word, bedoers of the word and not
hearers only deceivingyourselves.
For if anyone is a hearer ofthe word and not a doer, he is
like a man who looks intently athis natural face in a mirror,
for he looks at himself and goesaway and at once forgets what
(18:01):
he was like.
But the one who looks into theperfect law, the law of liberty,
and perseveres being no hearerwho forgets, but a doer who acts
, he will be blessed in hisdoing so.
Do you abide in his word?
Do you seek it out with hungerfor truth, or is it just
something you enjoy hearing butdon't really want to abide in?
(18:24):
Ezekiel, chapter 33, verses 30to 33.
Listen to this.
As for you, son of man, yourpeople who talk about you by the
walls and at the doors of thehouses, say to one another, each
to his brother, come and hearthe word that comes from the
Lord, and they come to you aspeople come, and they sit before
(18:45):
you as my people, and they hearwhat you say, but they will not
do it, for with lustful talk intheir mouths they act.
Their heart is set on theirgain.
And behold, you are to themlike one who sings lustful songs
with a beautiful voice andplays well on an instrument.
For they hear what you say, butthey will not do it.
(19:12):
Those are powerful words, and Iwould even go as far as to say
this fits the American churchtoday, as most are nothing more
but concerts with laser lightsand smoke machines.
They have teachers that tickletheir ears, an environment that
appeases their senses.
The people come from far off tovisit, not because they speak
(19:32):
truth, but because they areentertained.
At least with Ezekiel, he wasspeaking the truth and they were
entertained by it.
But in our culture they aresetting out to entertain and
draw these people in.
That is what you call a churchthat has their heart set on gain
and is most likely dead.
(19:53):
Revelation 3, verse 1.
And to the angel of the churchof Sardis write the words of him
who has the seven spirits ofGod and the seven stars.
I know your works, you have thereputation of being alive, but
you are dead.
Just because we have acceptedJesus as Lord and Savior does
not mean we are out of danger.
(20:13):
You might be saved, but you arein the middle of a raging war
and the enemy is out to get youwith everything he has.
He wants to ruin you and makesure that you never come to
realize the power that you havein Christ.
The power he wants to keep youfrom is a power that can easily
take him down If you would justlearn how to walk the way Paul
(20:35):
stresses and urges for us inthis letter.
It's your responsibility toenact the faith that God has
given you through the power hehas given you, by the spirit he
has given you.
When you don't live by thespirit, you in turn you grieve
him.
Ephesians, chapter 4, verse 30,.
And do not grieve the HolySpirit of God by whom you were
(20:56):
sealed for the day of redemption.
Let's pray, father, thank you.
Thank you that you have coveredus in the blood of Jesus and
given us his spirit so that welive a life pleasing to you.
Father, I ask that you wouldhelp us to submit to your spirit
so he can guide us and help uslive a life imitating you so you
(21:19):
may be glorified in us.
You're an amazing God and wethank you for giving us
everything we need to live inthis world and conquer the enemy
.
Father, we love you and wethank you In Jesus' name, amen.
Now I want to thank you forjoining us today, and I hope
this message helped you take astep closer in your relationship
(21:40):
with Jesus and that you have abetter understanding of just how
much God loves you and wantsyou to know him.
In our upcoming episode, wewill be further discussing the
concept of imitating Christ byshining a light on wrongdoing.
Just as Jesus brought truth tothe forefront, we are called to
do the same.
Instead of turning a blind eyeor staying silent, we are
challenged to expose dishonestyand immorality.
(22:03):
This may lead to backlash andconflict, as those who are
confronted may react offensively.
However, it is ourresponsibility to reveal and
confront the darkness andwickedness in the world, despite
the resistance it may bring.
Now, before we go, I want toencourage you to send us a text
message from the link providedin the description of this
(22:24):
episode.
We would love to hear yourfeedback and questions you may
have from today's show, as ithelps us produce future episodes
that are beneficial to you.
In addition, please feel freeto use this podcast as a
resource to help others andshine a light into the darkness.
God bless, and we'll see younext time on the Takeaway.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.